"Thank you, come again"
Agi took the paper bags of her old and new clothes and went out of the shop. She's wearing a yellow empire waist top, blue jeans, and yellow wedge. She saw dustfinger sitting on the fountain, playing with Gwinn.
"Sorry to keep you waiting" she apologized.
Dustfinger looked up at her, quite staring, and coughed a little as he stands up, "It's alright"
"Do you want to go home already?"
"To my real home?"
"Uhm, no. I meant at my place"
"Not yet really"
"Let's go and talk then"
At the Piazza Pretoria, there are a lot of tables with big umbrellas for the restaurants' customers. The two of them sat across each other and Agi is the first to talk.
"So, this Capricorn- who is he?" Agi asked.
Dustfinger leaned forward with clasped hands in front of his mouth, "He's the bad guy from the book I came from, Inkheart"
"He's the villain then? Are you guys looking for him to kill him?"
"That can be one, but we're after the book. He's got one and I want mo to read me back. His wife is also taken as a prisoner there and Capricorn might do something evil if we don't get the book back."
"I see. So, what do you do? I mean your character?"
"I'm a fire juggler with magic powers"
"Amazing, I myself have powers"
"Really now?"
Agi grabbed two of her paper bags and placed it on either side of the table so no one could see. She placed her arms between the paper bags and dustfinger waited for her "magic"
Agi snapped her left fingers and a small flame appeared at the tip of her finger.
"I can also do that" dustfinger said and snapped his fingers beside hers, making a much bigger flame.
"Can you do this?" Agi pointed her right index at the glass of water and a string of water flew away from the glass and killed the flame they made.
Dustfinger is stunned, "I only control fire"
"Well, not me. I can control earth, fire, wind, and water"
"How's that possible for a non fictional character?"
"Let's just say I'm not like the others"
Dustfinger suddenly leaned back nervously as Agi leans towards him and hand reaching towards him. She gently touched the scars across dustfinger's left eye. Her hand is warm and gentle that anytime now, dustfinger might rest his head.
"What happened?" she whispered.
Suddenly, she pulled away her hand and dustfinger looked at her curiously. "Sorry, I shouldn't ask such personal things" she said and looked away.
"Nah, it's alright. I had a fight with one of the villains. His name is basta"
"Is he also out of the book?"
"Yes and he is a dangerous man. May I ask you a personal question?"
Agi just nodded and finished her glass of water.
"Why are you mad at your father?"
"Did I sound mad awhile ago?"
"I saw your reaction"
A group of violinists starts to play at the Piazza and most of the people are enjoying. Dustfinger watched the young girl scratch her head and kept on looking around. Anyone would notice that she's really avoiding the topic.
Dustfinger sighed, "Fine, you don't have to answer"
"No, it's alright" Agi said softly. She just didn't know how to tell it since she never thought about it anymore, "My father never treated me as his daughter"
"Why not?" he asked very concerned.
"Because I'm different, my mom is a- witch- and when he knew, he made her go away when I was only five. When I discovered that I'm a silver tongue, I usually read aloud in my room to amuse myself. My father went in and strangled me to death. He tried to kill me, but my older brother stopped him. My father left the room saying: 'I wish you were never born' he remarried and the woman hates me too. That's why I decided to move here"
Dustfinger couldn't stop what he's feeling; anger. As a father, he couldn't accept that someone could be that cruel to their own child.
"How could he have said that to his own daughter? It's unforgivable" dustfinger scowled, making a fist.
Agi looked at his literally smoking hands then to his face. She could really feel the anger from the words that dustfinger spoke. She leaned on the table and smirked.
"Are you, by any chance, a father?" she asked.
Dustfinger relaxed and answered solemnly, "Yes, I have a boy and a girl"
"How old are they?"
"Brianna is five and Jehan is three"
"I'm sure you really miss them"
"Very much. That's why I want to get the book back, so I could go home to them"
Agi clasped dustfinger's warm soft hands and gave him a heartwarming smile, "Don't worry, I'll also help out"
At the chef's house, roone had just left to see how the restaurant is doing. Meggie is still in Agi's room, her head really serious on the book. Just as she was getting to the good part of the story, she heard something disturbing from the window. It couldn't be a tree since there was none. Meggie closed the book and slowly approached the big window. She was about to peek when a young man suddenly appeared and opened wide the window. Meggie stepped back and gasped, having no time to scream.
"Who are you?" she asked scared.
The young man set foot in the room, wearing a gray shirt, black jeans, and snickers. He's about the same age as Agi or a bit older, has chestnut brown hair and eyes, and very handsome. He didn't look dangerous at all.
"I'm sorry, my name is john Macon" he said with a British accent.
John looked at the scared young girl, disheartened. "Are you Agi's daughter?"
Before Meggie could even answer, the door opened by Agi and dustfinger. Meggie ran to them and Agi looked at the stranger seriously.
"Who are you?"
"J-john Macon" he uttered.
Agi tried to register the name in her head. She suddenly remembered an eleven year old boy with a bob cut hair, red chubby cheeks, and a dandelion on his hand. She looked back at the good looking guy.
"You're john Macon, my childhood friend?" she assured.
John suddenly felt a spark when he realized that it was really her.
Dustfinger and Meggie looked at each other when the two hugged happily.
"Oh God, after ten long years, you're back!" john exclaimed.
Agi just smiled and looked at him from head to toe, "Look at you, you're not a chubby little boy anymore"
"Well, yeah. You need to look good to find someone" john then gazed at dustfinger's direction, "And it seems to me you already found someone and have a kid"
Agi realized that he is talking about dustfinger and Meggie and she giggled.
"No, they're friends of mine" she explained.
For a minute there, john felt relieved and Meggie noticed it. The four of them went to the dining area to have some coffee.
John couldn't take his eyes off of Agi. No one can't blame him; it's been years since they last saw each other. Agi gave each one of them a mug of hot coffee and sat around the brown circular table beside Meggie.
"I still can't believe you're really back" john said, "I really thought you were- dead. But, where have you really been?"
Uh-oh. Agi never thought of that part yet as she swallowed the coffee nervously. She couldn't tell him that she'd been trapped inside a book and suddenly appeared. He'll think she's a loony.
"She was with us" Meggie butted in, "We love travelling"
"That's right" Agi nodded.
Nothing seemed to be suspicious with what they said because Agi is such an adventurer and john fell for it. While he's finishing his coffee, Agi secretly said 'thank you' to Meggie for covering her up.
"But, you shouldn't have dashed off like that" john continued, putting his empty blue mug down, "You made Sacha worried"